Filing-case.



No. 739,700. PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

' W. MGFABLAND.

FILING GASE. ArPLwATAIoN FILED gul.: s, 190s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

N0 MODEL.

me mams PETERS co, Moro-uwe.. wAsHm'rom n. c,

No. 739,700.' PATENTED SEPT.'22, 1.903. 'W. A. MGPABLAND; l

FILING CASE.

` APPmoATIoN FILED JULI 8. 190s. v

F0 HQDEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2l n4: mms versus cu, wom-umm wAsumm-nm u. c.

UNITED STATES Patented September 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. MCFARLAND, Oh" WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A ASSIGNOR TO VOODRUFF MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE WASH- INGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION THE DIS- TRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FILING-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,700, dated September 22,v 1903.

. Application filed July 8, 1903.` Serial No. 164,725. (No model.)

My invention relates to filing-cases, and isl particularly designed to provide a construction by which a series of maps, tracings, blueprints, drawings, or other papers or documents in sheet form may be stored or filed in such manner that any one of the series may be gotten at without disturbing others. Maps, tracings, blue-prints of plans, and drawings are in many cases necessarily of such size as not to be readily led or stored unless rolled or folded and when needed for use must be unrolled or unfolded and cannot easily be made to lie fiat. If iiled or stored in iat condition, unless separate drawers are used for each sheet, it is a matter of diculty to withdraw any of a series of sheets other than the top one, and it is also a matter of difcnlty to return to its proper position a sheet which has been withdrawn for inspection or use. By my present invention a construction is provided by which a series of maps, tracings, or other sheets may be lled or stored in dat condition, one above another, without sacrifice of space, and any one of the seriesmay be withdrawn or restored to its proper place without disturbing the others of y the series.

My invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and claimed by which the results above set forth are secured.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of. a cabinet or series of drawers embodying one form of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the drawers of the cabinet shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the front end of a drawer, showing a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the construction shown in Fig. 3 with the drawerfront in raised position.

In the drawings, 1 is a cabinet provided with the usual guides for supporting and guiding drawers 2. The drawers each comprise a bottom 3, sides 4 4, and back 5, all rigidly secured together in any convenient manner.

ing rigidly secured to the sides and bottom, is carried by arms 6, which are pivotally connected to the sides 4 and normally rest in recesses 7, formed in the fro'nt ends of the sides. The recesses 7 are preferably formed in the outer faces of the sides 4, so that the inner faces of the sides are unbroken. The recesses may have bottoms 7', as in Figs. 1 and 2, in which case the arms 6 when in normal position rest on the bottom 7, and thus support the front of the drawer when the drawer is open, or may be open downward, as shown the drawer will fall downward, as shown in Fig. 3, as soon as the drawer is openedand will thus permit the contents of the drawer to be inspected.

The rear ends of the recesses 7 areincluded, as shown, to form shoulders 72, against which the arms 6 rest when in raised position.

The arms v6 are preferably pivoted to the sides 4 by a pin 6, the outer end of which is supported by a plate 8, secured to the sides,

vas shown.

The plates Q are preferably set into the sides 4, sothat their outer surfaces are dush with the outer faces of the sides. The arms 6 are preferably recessed to receive the plate 8.

The front ends of the sides 4 are preferably connected, as shown in Fig. 1, by a bar 9 of thicker material than the bottom, having a groove in its rear edge to receive a tongue formed on the front edge ofthe bottom.

The front 12 of the drawers are preferably provided with drawenpulls 10.

Within each of the drawers is arranged a series of superposed plates 11, which may be of strawboard, sheet metal, or other comparatively, stift" material, preferably of a size to fit the interior of the drawer.

In the use of my invention the maps, tracings, blue-prints, or other sheets to be lled l The front 12 of thev drawer, instead of be-v -in Figs. 3 and 4, in which case the front of are placed each on one of the plates 11 and beneath the plate neXt above it, so that it will be kept in hat condition. When desired to get at any one of the maps, tracings, blueprints, or other sheets, the drawer containing the sheet desired is pulled out, and if the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is used the front of the drawer immediatelyT drops, permitting the desired sheet to be selected. The front ends of the plates Il above the sheets desired are then raised and the front of the drawer is turned upward until the arms 6 rest against the shoulders '72 to -form a support for the plates, which are allowed to rest in them. The sheet vdesired may then be withdrawn and after inspection or use may be returned to place. If the form of my invention shown in Figs. l and 2 is used, the front of the drawer will remain in position after the drawer is opened and the sheet desired may be readily found, either from the top of the drawer or by raising the front of the drawer sufficiently to permit ready inspection. In this form of my invention, as in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, as soon as the desired sheet is found the front ends of the overlying plates ll are raised and the drawer-front is raised until its arms 6 rest against the shoulders 7 to form a support for the plates and permit the desired sheet to be readily withd rawn or reinserted in position.

It will of course be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the precise construction shown, and'while the construction shown is that preferably used in the ling-cases constructed of wood it is obvious that the vae/Ao having its sides provided at their front ends with recesses, arms pivoted in said recesses and carrying the drawer-front at their free ends,- means for sustaining the arms and drawer-front in elevated position, and a series of plates arranged within the drawer and adapted to be supported attheir front ends by the drawer-front when in elevated position.

3. In a filing-casehaving suitable guides for drawers, open-front drawers therein, arms pivoted to the sides of the drawers and carrying the drawer-fronts, means for sustaining the drawer-fronts in normal position, and means for sustaining the fronts in elevated position; substantially as described.

4:. In ailing-case having suitable guides for drawers, open-front drawers therein, arms pivoted to the sides of the drawers and carrying the drawer-fronts, means for sustaining the drawerfronts in normal position, means for sustaining the drawer-fronts in elevated position and a series of plates arranged within the drawers and adapted to be supported at their front ends by the drawer-front; substantially as described.

5. An open-ended drawer for filing-cases, having its sides provided at their front ends with recesses, arms pivoted to the sides and normally resting against the bottoms of the recesses, a drawer-front carried by the free ends of the arms, and a series of plates arranged within the drawer and adapted to be supported at their front ends by the drawerfront when the latter is in elevated position, substantially as described.

6. An open-ended drawer for filing-cases having its sides provided at their front ends with recesses having inclined rear walls, arms pivoted to the sides and normally resting against the bottoms of the recesses and adapted when in elevated position, to rest against the rear walls of the recesses, and a drawerfront carried by the free ends of the arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER A. MCFARLAND.

Witnesses:

E. A. FULLER, W. C. SMALL. 

